Tuesday 18 December 2012

Home-made Coffee Creamer

I have just remembered on this cold and wet morning that I have promised you a home-made coffee creamer recipe! As you know I have been experimenting in coffee flavouring to try and make a nice luxury coffee at home but haven't really been succeeding.  And although I love the idea of just popping out for a nice coffee each day that is not realistic. Where I live there are no Starbucks or even Costa's nearby so when I do pick a coffee up from one of those places it is a real treat!
I think I have mentioned before that I love the coffee creamers that you get in the States that are flavoured, but you can't seem to get those in the UK. So that is really what brought on my experimenting. Nevertheless, this recipe is a bit better for you than the preservative filled ready made creamers but still not the best as far as healthy goes (so my next task will be to work on healthifying-nice new word!  it a little more).

So without further ado...

Home-made Coffee Creamer

1 small can Condensed Milk (397g or 14oz)
same amount of whole milk
*mix together well and that makes the base creamer

I then added:
1 tbsp Cocoa Powder
1/4 tsp Peppermint Extract
to make a Peppermint Mocha Creamer

Later I might try adding just vanilla extract, hazelnut, etc... depending on my mood and the season.

I hope you enjoy this! Yummy!

BTW- this creamer mix should last about 2 weeks in the fridge (any longer please throw away)

Monday 17 December 2012

Party Week

I can't believe its only a week until Christmas! The time has flown really quickly for us. I know that I'm still not ready (wrapping is a bit of a daunting task for me and I still have all the Christmas cards to do for Francis' nursery class). Anyway, this week should be a fun one for the boys as I will be taking them to two Christmas parties.

At one of the parties Santa will be making a very special appearance (after all he is pretty busy these days)! I can't wait for Francis and Dylan to meet Santa. It will be the first visit with Santa for both of the boys so I hope it isn't a scary one ;-)
www.santaclaus.net

We will also get to visit with some friends and their little ones, that we haven't seen in awhile so we can't wait for that too!

However as fun a week as it will be, I will definitely be thinking of all those affected by last Friday's tragedy in Connecticut. I really can't get my head around what happened there and my heart is breaking for everyone involved.

Have a fun and safe week :-)

Wednesday 12 December 2012

What I Ate Wednesday

Happy Wednesday everyone (albeit a little late)! I hope you are all having a good week thus far.

We have definitely been trying to get into the Christmas spirit this week with some good old Christmas films like Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman and Santa Claus! We also put up all of our Christmas decorations and the tree which as per our family tradition I went out by myself to get. It is a pretty long story but it all started when my husband and I lived in London and I decided to surprise him by picking up a tree after work. The kicker was that I strapped the tree to my back (backpack stylie) to get it home!

Oooh and I have a new coffee treat which I am in love with and I think can be catered to suit all my holiday and seasonal desires! I shall put the recipe in another post - stay tuned ;-)

Well, since today is Wednesday, I thought I might tag on to what some of my other favourite bloggers are doing and that is... What I ate Wednesday (WIAW). I hope it is not too shocking for you as my eats have been pretty heavy on chocolate, hot (spicy) foods and carbs.

Anyway, here is what my Wednesday eats looked like today:

Breakfast: Instant coffee with my new creamer and a bowl of Apple Cinnamon Granola with semi-skimmed milk

Lunch: A jalapeƱo cheese toastie with a tomato and some baked beans with mustard


Dinner: Sausage and chips with green beans and gravy rounded out by a nice glass of red wine


Snacks: I had a strawberry Ribena whilst out Christmas shopping (I was parched) and a glass of milk and a dark chocolate bar after lunch today.


How is your December going so far? What is your favourite part of getting ready for the holidays?


Thursday 6 December 2012

Anxious Coffee Spree

Oh dear, so it has been a really exciting last couple of days! My good friend who was 32 weeks pregnant with twins had her babies! Her water broke on Sunday afternoon and then it was the waiting game. We found out Monday night she had two lovely baby girls all healthy but a little tiny ;-)

I get so excited when friends have babies but I also worry that everything will be ok and especially so with my dear friend who had her twins. So while I waited on news I ended up making coffee after coffee and in doing so tried to come up with some new combinations that might be tasty since I was getting pretty tired of instant with milk.

Here are some of the tried and tested:
Instant with vanilla extract and milk
Instant with vanilla extract, grated chocolate and milk
Instant with hot chocolate, grated chocolate and milk
Fresh with cream and sugar
Black

They were all ok but I really felt like something decadent and I'm not sure I got that with any of those combos. I will have to try again. I suppose one thing I miss are those (chemical laden) but delish creamers you can get in the States. I love the minty one they have at Christmas time...Yum!
www.coffee-mate.com
Anyone know of any good home-made coffee creations?

Sunday 2 December 2012

I Joined A Gym!

Yay, I did it! This weekend I joined the local gym (sports centre) and better yet I even had my first workout! I actually had a look at the gym about 3 weeks ago and was more than impressed. It had pretty much the same amenities that my very expensive 'brand name' gym had when we lived in Texas except less than half the price. Anyway, as you know I ended up taking the past 3 weeks off from working out so I just ended up not joining, but this weekend I took the plunge. 

I had my first workout this morning when the gym opened at 8am...that's right people, I actually set my alarm, woke up, got dressed and out the door in time for an 8am workout ;-) 

I did 15 minutes on the treadmill, 10 on the stepper, 10 on the bike and 5 on the rowing machine. In between each exercise I stretched out and at the end of the workout I did some crunches to strengthen my super weak core. I felt really good when I finished. That was my first gym workout in probably 3 years. 

Then while we were out at Costco today I spotted the Zumba Fitness DVD Exercise Kit. It was at a very reasonable price and did I buy it? - You betcha! I have always wanted to try Zumba and even though I know it is meant to be a fun, party like class with lots of people for the whole 'you're in a night club' kinda vibe, well I just couldn't bare to try it for the first time in that atmosphere and be completely out of sink. 

www.zumbafitness.co.uk
I have no dance skills at all and my coordination could be better. Let's put it this way, about 8 years ago when I was living in London I joined a Salsa workout class at my local gym. The instructor came over and said to me 'Darling, I just love coming to this class cause you are so entertaining. I go turn to the right and you turn to the left. I say cha cha cha and you...well I'm not sure what you are up to! I love it!' So I suppose now you can understand why I am very excited to try this Zumba DVD set out in the privacy of my own home. Of course when I become the Zumba star I know I can be (deep down) I might venture into a proper class but for now I think I like the fact that only 4 walls will be watching as I ultimately make a fool of myself ;-) 

Any other uncoordinated Zumba fans out there?

Wednesday 28 November 2012

Recap

I'm back!! It seems like forever since I last posted but after a week of relaxing and spending time with my parents (who flew over from the States) I am ready to get back to the blog world ;-)

Last week was fab! The boys both really enjoyed their visit from Grammy and Grandpa and have been recovering ever since. Lots of cuddles, walking, talking and showing off really takes it out of them.

I really miss my parents already and wish they could have stayed longer but they were over for as long as they could be and at least we got to celebrate Thanksgiving with them and even have a mini Christmas too!

Turkey coma!
One thing that the husband and I really appreciated were the two date nights we got to go on while my parents were over. It was so nice to have some quality time together, just the two of us. We got to see the new James Bond, which I loved (husband not so much) and then had another date into Leeds where we had some drinks and went for a very spicy Mexican meal (which in the UK is very rare). Thanks Mom & Dad!

Since I am in the recap mode at the moment I thought I'd share a little disappointing news (for me anyway)...I have not exercised in 3.5 weeks!! I know I'm bad. The first of these weeks the boys were both sick so I was up a lot in the night and didn't really feel like waking early to exercise. The second week I was not feeling great myself, post pregnancy issues (don't worry I'm ok now) and then last week I wanted to really enjoy each moment with my parents and the boys so I just didn't bother. I did bother to have plenty of chocolate though so I am in definite need of making up for some of that ;-)

Also, my mom brought over my bridesmaid dress for my sister's wedding in Feb and let's just say I have a little way to go before comfortably fitting into it. Apparently both my sister and brother have just lost 30+ pounds for the wedding and to get healthier. I don't have quite that much to lose but I do still have about 20lbs pregnancy/chocolate weight to shed at some point. My sister lost her weight on Weight Watchers while my brother just cut out all sweets and started going to a gym (which was right in his apartment complex-pretty handy indeed). I needed a bit of motivation and I think their weight loss and the Women's Health magazine I bought at lunch today should do it ;-) So with that said...here's to getting back in shape!

Have any of you ever tried the Pro Points Plan at Weight Watchers? Any good? 

Wednesday 21 November 2012

Enjoying A Break

Hello! Sorry I haven't been posting as normal. My parents are visiting from the US and we have been busy catching up and enjoying time together. I will be back to regular blogging next week but for now I am taking a little break.

Have a good rest of the week and for all my American readers I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!


See you next week!




Monday 12 November 2012

Colour

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a lovely weekend and a good Monday (since I am posting this so late)! My weekend was pretty busy. Husband went off camping with some friends so I was alone with the boys. We went on a couple of nice walks taking the very excited pooch with us, played with blocks and stacking cups, attempted some pillow forts and then generally relaxed- oh and Dylan did lots of tummy time ;-)

Last week Dylan was diagnosed with bronchitis so we are still taking it easy until he starts to feel better, poor little guy. By the way, I totally hate giving him his antibiotics. He starts out all smiley and giggling but it always ends in screaming tears. Thankfully today is his last day on the antibiotics - fingers crossed.

So when the boys were in bed and I had the place all to myself I got up to some much needed and anticipated girlie pampering. I guess you could say I got to grips with Fall/Autumn colours.

First I painted my long neglected nails in OPI Romeo and Joliet - Gorgeous! I absolutely love OPI and this colour doesn't let me down. I bought it about a month ago thinking I would invest in a nice colour and skip a professional manicure but it took me this long to finally get around to it.


Then on Sunday I coloured my hair. Now for 33 years I have had the same light blonde hair and have maintained lovely highlights but since I have been pregnant off and on (if you can say that) for about 3 years, I haven't really wanted to keep up with my highlights and that is when the dreaded roots set in. Let's just say it wasn't pretty! So I did some research and chose a home colouring kit in dark blonde thinking it would be about the same as what I have but slightly darker. Ummm....not so much! My hair is now pretty much brown. It is certainly different and I know I have to get used to it, but not sure how long it is going to stay. I think it is a good option for Autumn/Winter, but this will not be my Spring/Summer look that's for sure.
Anyway, I tried to take a pic of it so you could see, but today was another dark and dreary day here and the lighting was a bit off so it didn't really come out. I shall try again for another post.

So that is how I put some colour into my weekend. Did anyone else foray into the world of hair colour this weekend?

Thursday 8 November 2012

Post Pregnancy Shopping

It has been almost 3 months since the birth of my gorgeous little boy Dylan. I can't believe how the time has flown by. Everyday I wake up and smile at both of my little ones and am so grateful. I also wake up each morning and still put on maternity clothes :-( 

When I had Francis, it took me about 9 months to get my shape back and I probably still had about 5 pounds to lose, but I looked more or less back to my pre-baby shape. It was at that time I found out I was pregnant with little Dylan. This second pregnancy took my belly to a whole new level. I was massive. People didn't just ask if I was having twins but whether or not I was having triplets! Anyway, with that said and knowing that it has only been 3 months since Dylan's birth it is no wonder I am still a bit round. I am not really in a rush to get slim again but I would like to be on my way to it as I have my sister's wedding in February and I am going to have to fit into a pre-pregnancy sized bridesmaid dress! 

So after having been working out for a bit and having lost 3 more pounds since the initial pregnancy weight came off,  I was feeling quite slim and wanted to shop for some new clothes- after all I am now pretty bored of my maternity kit. This is what prompted my trip to the mall this past weekend. 

However, I found when I started trying on clothes none of them fit- and I was trying on clothes two sizes bigger than my pre-pregnancy size! It wasn't so much that I had gained weight but that my shape had definitely changed too. I now have a fuller chest, bigger hips and a lot of loose skin on my belly. I was finding that clothes where either made to fit the slim or the more voluptuous girl but not a woman who had recently given birth. 

So, I gave in to the fact that my purchase of two pairs of leggings and some long tops was going to be the extent of my shopping that day. At first I felt disappointed and not particularly attractive, but then I remembered I have just had a beautiful baby boy who I love with all my heart and my body did me proud <3 !  I am still breast feeding Dylan and I am only just getting back into shape. There really is no rush. After all a bridesmaid's dress can be tailored to fit! 



images from H&M and Dorothy Perkins 

Tuesday 6 November 2012

Sometimes You Have Days Like This

Yesterday was quite a day. I got up and looked at my calendar and saw that the Health Visitor was due to come around for her final check on me and Dylan. She told me that she would be over at 11am. With that said I got up out of bed and started the getting ready for the day. By 10am I thought I was pretty much on track, just needed to shower but both boys were ready to go. And then the doorbell rang. It was 10:10am and the Health Visitor had arrived.

I know they don't expect you to be perfect and I don't pretend to be, but I at least like to be out of my pjs and have my hair brushed when they come round. So now the dog is going mad, Francis is trying to escape his high chair and Dylan thank goodness is the only one still smiling. 

After a few minutes chatting I let Francis walk around the kitchen as he clearly wasn't happy being in his high chair (after all breakfast had finished ages ago). However getting Francis out of his high chair set off a bizarre chain reaction- the dog went crazy again and Dylan began to scream. So I moved the dog out of the room and picked up Dylan all while chatting with the HV and keeping one eye on Francis who had decided to turn the oven on! 

It was at this time the HV told me off for having Dylan in a bouncy chair on the kitchen table. She said 'He's so big he might just bounce himself off the chair and off the table.' Oh dear! Fail number 1. 

She finally decided to leave and I was pretty happy because I had a feeling things might take a turn for the worse. That is when she asked how long Francis had been walking. 'Only a few weeks' I said (he was a very slow walker). 'Oh well don't worry he'll have lots of bumps and bruises' she says whilst staring at Francis' forehead which is currently sporting a giant yellow bruise from his fall a few days ago. Arrgh! Fail number 2.

At that point Francis decided to climb on top of a box we had in the kitchen (from an Ikea run the day before). I could foresee him falling off it and just as I did there he went. I leapt across the kitchen with Dylan in my arms (dog howling in the other room), grabbed Francis right before the fall (YES! A point for me.) but then I was only holding Dylan with one arm and of course that is when he decided to flail out...Oh Lord! Fail number 3.

I turned around with both boys safely in my arms to see a look of complete horror on the HV's face. 'Well time to go then' she said. 

With the door shut and locked I breathed the biggest sigh of relief ever - hair dishevelled, bathrobe half on, and that was just my morning! 

Has anyone else ever had a morning like this? Super Mom; reality or myth?

Monday 5 November 2012

Coffee, Coffee, Coffee, Coffee

Well, it seems like forever since my last post and I have definitely not kept to my unspoken plan of  writing at least two posts a week, but I'll get there. I guess I am still getting used to a routine with two little ones.

This past weekend seemed to go by in a flash. I love weekends more than ever now because it means family time. During the week my husband is out all day and gets in late at night but on the weekends he is usually in and it is nice for me to have some quality time with all of my boys :-)

This weekend however I went out on my own which was a much needed and very rare occurance. I ended up going to the mall on Saturday to pick up a few things (which I'll probably go over in another post soon) and while I was there I did something I hadn't done in awhile...I ordered a coffee!

Now don't get me wrong, I have coffee all the time but recently it has just been instant decaf - boring. This coffee was a salted caramel latte from Costa and it was good! I took it all around the mall with me and then had some on the drive home too. I savoured every last sip!


I guess the slightly naughty thing of all was that I had already had two fresh coffees that morning before I left the house! And then, you will not believe it but I had another cup when I got back home!

Saturday was a truly caffienated day and I loved every sip!

Have you ever had a day with way too much coffee? I guess I was lucky that 3 of the 4 coffees were decaf ;-)

Wednesday 31 October 2012

Happy Halloween!

Finally, the BIG orange pumpkin costume with gOOgly eyes made its dĆ©but trip out of my closet and onto my little boy Francis this morning! He was so excited to wear it today, but sadly once we got it on him he wasn't so keen. Today is the Halloween party at his nursery so at least I can say it stayed on until we arrived at the party! 

Dylan is a bit too young to really understand Halloween this year but next year he'll probably be able to fit into proper costume. He did put in his best effort and was decked out in a cute little pumpkin suit and hat that Grammy sent him from the US. 


This week was a busy one with the count down to Halloween. There was pumpkin carving, seed counting (and sadly burning in my attempt to make some sweet and salty seeds) and most exciting was the pumpkin chocolate chip bread which this year turned out amazing! I did in fact make it from the insides of Jack our Jack O'Lantern but I am still on the look out for canned pumpkin...someday. I ended up making two loaves but split one up to give to my mother in law and a friend. The loaf that was left for us is now completely gone so no more pumpkin goodness until next year. Boo ;-(


This week I have also been totally slacking in the exercise department. I haven't done a single workout yet and here it is Wed. Yikes! I may try and squeeze some yoga in before I pick up Francis from nursery tonight but I guess that all depends on sweet little Dylan and his rather demanding feeding schedule. 

The husband and I don't have any Halloween plans tonight, but we will gladly open the door to any trick or treaters that come our way (last year we only had 2). 

What are your Halloween plans? Are you off Trick or Treating with your little ones tonight?

Take care and have a safe and scary Halloween


Thursday 25 October 2012

Sleep...zzz...


Sleep. Who needs it?

Oh dear do I ever! It has been a bit of a rough week as far as sleep is concerned; waking up early for car MOTs, friend's visits, and trying to fit in exercise. Of course there is also the getting to bed late, early into the morning or not at all (post pregnancy insomnia)!
Image from Google Images

One night this week we had a long night with two sick boys awake, crying and coughing. What is a mum to do but stay up and rub their backs, give some cough medicine and rock them back to sleep- even if it takes all night. I love my two little men and hate seeing them suffer.

Then there was a bonus sleepless night when my husband decided to sleep talk, walk and turn on lights. It ended in a climax of him turning his bedside light on waking me up and stating 'There's a big ugly spider coming your way!'. Thanks sweetheart.

So, in a week of a lot less sleep and an eagerness to get on with my new workout schedule what wins? Well, let me spell it out S-L-E-E-P! So far this week I have only had one workout a run/walk and I have very knowingly shut off my alarm two other times. It isn't that I don't want to workout, I do, very much but at this stage post pregnancy I still consider sleep the more important commodity.

I also vaguely remember reading somewhere that if you are sleep deprived your workout doesn't count as much. Maybe that is because you aren't putting in your all or you are working out with less than perfect form I really can't remember. One thing I do remember is that getting your Zs is also a useful tool in losing weight so that is what I went with this week.

I am posting this however while setting my alarm for an early morning running wake up call!

Has there ever been a time when you have chosen sleep over something else that was important to you? Did you feel better for it or guilty? 

Sunday 21 October 2012

When Things Don't Go To Plan

Hello everyone! Well, this week was a little bit different than I thought it might be. First of all, there wasn't too much rain and each day was pretty sunny! This meant that we were able to get out a bit more than I thought we might, however there was also a completely unforeseen element of both boys coming down with very chesty coughs that kept us a little lower key than we had hoped.

Monday everyone was happy and healthy so we took a walk to the local park to play on the swings. Dylan spent the time chillin' while Francis slide down the slide, swung on the swings and went on a strange little rocking horse thing. Francis also decided to ditch the children's play area, dig a hole under the fence and try to escape to where the bigger boys were playing soccer. All this while I turned the double pram around to face the swings (that is about 30 seconds...yikes!!) He never made it but it didn't stop him from shouting BALL for the next 5 minutes or so ;-) One of his current obsessions!

Tuesday we spent with a friend of mine and her little boy playing. It was nice to have some girlie chat too!

Wednesday was nursery day and then Thursday and Friday were spent doing puzzles, colouring, singing and practising walking as the cold/cough had properly set in by then.

Also, poor Dylan had to face his first set of injections on Friday, which made for a seriously unhappy camper :-( No real side effects though so we were lucky.

We did have a great day yesterday walking around a lake, but it took a toll on my two little coughing soldiers and today is being spent lying low again.

So being a mum is more than just having a timetable in place to keep the boys learning and entertained, it is about being flexible and having a Plan B just in case things don't go the way you hoped. I think we did ok and still had fun despite not feeling our best this week.


Is anyone else dealing with the first round of Autumn colds this week? If so hope they clear up soon!


Wednesday 17 October 2012

The Great Pumpkin

It is this time of year that I really crave coffee and I don't mean just instant decaf. I would like a wonderfully Autumny (new word I know) Pumpkin Coffee from Dunkin Donuts...YUM! But over here in the UK, not a chance. It seems in England they don't have quite the obsession with pumpkin that we Americans do.

Although I have managed to find big pumpkins for carving and or painting at my local supermarket, I have not been able to take the boys pumpkin picking (no farm near us grows them). I have also not been able to locate canned pumpkin to make my delish pumpkin chocolate chip bread! In fact last year I used real fresh pumpkin from the pumpkin we carved but there really wasn't much there and picking out all the seeds was a nightmare. It has been recommended that I just use squash but will it be the same?

The blog world has definitely been making me jealous with everyone's posts that include lovely pumpkin beers or coffees and there is even one that has indulged in a glorious sounding pumpkin chai latte.


Which brings me to the question; Is pumpkin just an American thing? I am hoping that the UK will convert but in the meantime I continue to long for that Pumpkin Coffee.

Are there any things that you crave this time of year? Are you living in a place that doesn't have one of your favourites? Tell me I'm not alone ;-)


Sunday 14 October 2012

Getting Ready For A Rainy Week

Another weekend is quickly coming to a close. It was a lovely sunny weekend and it was great to get outside! Unfortunately however I have just checked the weather for this coming week and it looks awful. Rainy and cold. I guess I should probably expect as much since we live in England but I am always hoping for some sun.

In preparation for this rainy week ahead I am going to plan out some activities for the boys. Well, mainly my one and a half year old as the 8 week old will just soak up the atmosphere of whatever we get up to. I am going to check out some local websites to see what is on and child friendly in our area but so far I am thinking of a trip to the library for some new books, working on new puzzles that Francis got last week (a belated birthday present from a friend), colouring with new twisty crayons and maybe even a trip to a soft play centre.

Also on my to do list - photos!  I know this blog has been looking a bit dull since I haven't posted any pics but I am going to be making a conscious effort to post some this week!

I am also looking forward to continuing my new workout schedule. I am hoping to stretch a little further, run a little longer and lift a little more easily this week ;-) Wish me luck!

What are your goals/to dos for the week? Have any of you been to a soft play centre before? This will be our first time if we do go. Are any of you trying anything new this week?





Friday 12 October 2012

Working Out

It has been a pretty long time now since I have had a proper workout session. I guess because I was pregnant, nursing and then pregnant again I haven't really had the time or energy to keep a realistic workout schedule. So this week I wanted to change that.

I got the all clear from the doctor last week, so there was no reason to put off getting back in shape any longer. Even though I used to be a real workout expert (in my own mind anyway) I wasn't really sure how to begin. Eventually I decided that a workout for 30 minutes every other day would probably be the most I could do. So here is what this week's workout schedule looked like:

Sunday: Yoga DVD - Shiva Rea Flow Yoga for Beginners
Tuesday: Run
Thursday: Pump DVD - Davina McCall My Three 30 Minute Workouts

Here is how it went:
Sunday's yoga session showed me just how out of shape I really am after two babies and very little exercise in the last two years. But it felt good to move and stretch!

Tuesday I was a bit optimistic. I set myself what I thought would be a pretty easy run. Well, about 2 minutes in I was walking, so it turned into more of a run/walk which was fine with me. I really just wanted to see what I could do. I also had the added issue of a much bigger bust than the last time I ran so I have to say it wasn't the most comfy run I have ever been on.
New to do list item; find a sports bra that can do the job!

Thursday I was able to keep up with the pump section of Davina's DVD but the 2.5lb hand weights I used (which previously seemed way too light for me) felt like 20lbs at least!

Now I have an idea of where I am in terms of fitness. I have very little flexibility, I am pretty weak and I don't have the stamina I used to when it comes to running. I think some people would be put off by all this and maybe give up, but I am glad to know and sure that I will see improvement in the coming months/year. I also know my body is amazing after all it did house and give birth to two little boys!

Tuesday 9 October 2012

First Ever Post!


Hello, welcome to my very first blog post! This is a bit of a strange moment really. I have been wanting to start a blog for ages and just couldn't bring myself to do it, probably because I was nervous about what I would write, whether people would like it and whether or not I was really comfortable sharing my personal thoughts and experiences with everyone, but alas I have decided to bite the bullet and bare it all (not literally don't worry).

I hope that this blog will be humorous (where appropriate), insightful, helpful at times and interesting.

I am 33 years old and have been married now for just under 7 years. My husband and I met in Spain and have lived in both the US (where I am from) and the UK (he's English) since then. 

Whilst living in Texas 5 years ago we added to our family when we rescued a spaniel mix pup. He is a handful but we love him and he made the big move with us back to the UK almost 3 years ago. Then in March 2011 we had our first -a baby boy. Just a year and a half later our second little boy arrived and I became a mum of two! 

So far, life as a mum has been wonderful, terrifying, fun, exhausting and one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had.

Most people who know me know that besides my family I love food but more specifically chocolate. I am most definitely a chocoholic. Also ever since my first date with my husband (an 8 hour bar/cafe hopping night) I have become a bit of a coffee addict, and it doesn't matter if it is a decaf, latte, mocha or espresso...if it is well made I love it.

Additionally, I love being fit, getting fit and keeping fit which as a new mum (and chocoholic) has been a bit more of a challenge. So I hope my blog will show how I have been able (or in some cases not) to keep fitness in my life.

Phew, I've done it, my first post. Well, I think that should do it for now. Take care!